In honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis' 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough, we've created our own Bitches Brew -- a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads of imperial stout and one thread of honey beer with gesho root. It's a gustatory analog to Miles' masterpiece.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Final NBS BIF#1 beer. A final thanks to larryi86. It was all enjoyed and appreciated.Bottled 9/2013. Mmmmm nicely aged.This is a nice stout without excess. Good looking black with brown head. Nice rich malt, again without excess. The malts in the aroma and taste are both strong toast to mild roast, Hints of fruit. Again, a strong beer without excess. Rich, but too much. Dry, but too much, Sweet, but not too much. Fruity, but not to much. The hopping is subdued (but not too much ;0)Alcohol is well hidden and slow to show forth.More than moderate in feel and lower carbonation smooths it out nicely.This is working out well. (650 characters)

August 2013 bottle poured. I Think I may have sat on this and possibly not stored it in the best conditions. OR I just really didn't enjoy this as much as I was anticipating. A touch of "smokiness" though I think I've come to learn, as mentioned above, it's a flavor that comes with poor aging. Will try again down the road with a fresher bottle.

(Also, listening to the album didn't seem to help, though it was a fun night around a fire!) (444 characters)

A strong and full bodied stout. Pours a thick and vinous black. Aroma of coffee, roasted malts and wood. Taste is consistent with the aroma along with bittering hops in the finish. A solid offering from dfh! (207 characters)

Black in color and impenetrable to light. There's a fingernail of dark brown head on top. I smell the honey, and sweet, dark malt. The flavor is a blend of sweet dark malt and bitter gesho that are cut by the sweet honey. The mouth is thick and creamy. (256 characters)

Another "oh yeah" beer from Dogfish Head. Instead of complex, this beer is downright brilliant. I love Imperial Stout, but the addition of a honey element is brilliant. Again, one of the very best beers I've ever tasted. (220 characters)

Holy shit. So dark. So robust. So… imperial. That big roasty stout flavor with those hints of honey; flirts with hop bitterness at the end like a finishing punch.

LOOK: So brown it's black. Totally opaque. Delicate brown head that settles quickly down into a thin ring around the glass.

SMELL: Low-key aroma that hints at the honey and roasted malt flavors ahead.

TASTE: Highly assertive. Big roast malt flavor like you'd expect from a stout, but then that sweetness from the honey. (Such a nice change from lactose or chocolate. Also: I don't know what flavor gesho is supposed to contribute but…)

Very unique "imperial" stout. Has a nice mead like finish. Very dark pour and head... Very smooth and sweet , thin body for how black it is. I like this a lot. I wonder if they ever barrel aged this? (199 characters)

I'm not a fan of honey but I wanted to try this beer based off it's great reviews, but I was not able to really enjoy this beer. I'm also not a fan of stouts, so that was probably why I did not enjoy this one. (210 characters)

T- Very characteristic of an Imperial Stout - chocolatey, roasty, with a subdued but very welcome hop flavor. Lots of subtle and complex notes, with the honey pleasantly fading in on the back for a fantastic finish.

F- Just what you'd expect from an Imperial Stout - full-bodied and lingering on the palate, but certainly not syrupy.

As Bitches Brew is perhaps my favorite album of all time, I had to really press to set aside any pretensions regarding this drink, but the complexity and balance simply can't be ignored. Just as big, wandering, and wild as the album for which it was brewed. (740 characters)

Bottle. I really liked this stout. Poured dark brown and looked great. Smelled subtly wonderful and inviting. Packed lots of flavor; nice blend of coffee, chocolate and malts. Started it a little cold which caused a slight bitter finish, but it warmed up nice and smooth. I recommend this beer and look forward to another some day. (337 characters)

Poured from a bomber into a snifter. Pours pitch black with a brown head. Smells of fruit, raisins, and coffee. Tastes of chocolate, coffee, and slight fruitiness. Beer is carbonated just perfectly with full body. Overall a very, very good beer. (245 characters)

this is sensational and something totally different. i cannot believe some of the negative write ups of this beer on here, totally unwarranted in my opinion, which is only as good as the next guys, but i honestly think this is pretty special beer. a nice gift from my girlfriend, who no longer really buys me beer, so i was feeling special myself when she did that for me. this is so sexy in appearance. inky shiny dark brown, plenty of viscosity, and a pillow soft mocha head with nice lace and stickiness as it slowly fades. aromas of tobacco and licorice along with the dark roasted malt. not too sure about gesho root, i have zero experience at all with it, but the beer does appear hoppy on the nose, so it could be contributing the bitterness and slight vegetal aromatic. the flavor is all about that honey with the dark malt richness. notes of jet puff marshmallow, espresso, and chicory are all here, earthy but really sweet too, molasses or some other raw sugar. it doesnt really come across like other stouts to me, there is more going on here, wonderful depth and complexity and nuance. a mild spice in the finish, could be the gesho but i just dont know it well enough to venture there. slight apple wine and marker finish, booze shows through a touch, but the more i sip the more i love this. a unique and wintery glass of ale, made all the better by sharing it with someone who i deeply admire. also, props for the miles davis tribute, his contribution to culture in this country is second to none. (1,512 characters)

Pours a pitch black with thin tan head a nice lacing. Smell is coffee and molasses. I get more honey in the taste. The mouth feel is medium bodied. Overall I'm getting a lot of sweet molasses in this one, and that's not my favorite flavor. This is a fine beer, just not what I am looking for. Don't think I will be seeking this one out again. (342 characters)

This beer is NOT worth the money in my opinion. There was absolutely nothing special about this beer, it drank more like a strong porter or a weak stout. Apart from a cool special edition label to add to your collection / graveyard, this brew is a total waste of money. (269 characters)

A: thick light brown head, light brown as it pours into the glass. More carbonation than expected after 4 years of cellaring. S: Pleasant aroma of sour fruit, tart cherries, dark chocolate.T: Starts with tart fruit & cherries, middle taste of smooth creamy dark chocolate, nice clean dry finish.M: Medium to high carbonation, medium body.O: Lighter body than expected for a dark ale. I was expecting a thick dark stout not a medium body fruity sour and I was pleasantly surprised. A very tasty and extremely smooth sour ale that grows on you as it warms up. An amazing beer and its possible its not at its peak. I'll cellar the next one 5 years (unfortunately the only one I have left is a 2014 so I've a ways to wait). (788 characters)

750mL bottle into a snifterno bottling dates but purchased within the last couple of months so presumably vintage 2014

A: Jet black, just over 1 fingers width of dense dark mocha colored head, which has decent retention before dissipating down. Leaves only a few very small patches of lacing. 4.25

S: Quite unique, theres an astringent characters thats almost tart and some herbaceous characters. These odditiess are coupled with traditional stout flavors including roasted malt, smokey char, and leather. Subtle sweetness, but no real indication that its brewed with honey. 4

T: Heavy roasted malt, cream, char, oaky herbaceous. Theres a sweetness to it, but I wouldn’t have guessed it was made with honey if I wouldn’t have read that on the label. The astringency from the nose persists in the taste, but to a lesser degree and certainly no tartness. Ok palate profile, but I’m a bit disappointed. 3.75

M/D: Lighter side of full bodied, could def stand to be thicker. Carbonation is on the higher end which adds to a lighter mouthfeel. ABV unnoticeable. Drinkability is average. 3.5

O: Its good, but nothing special. Didn’t really get any honey characters like I was hoping for. Worth checking out, but not something I would seek out. 3.75 (1,271 characters)

Dark, complex, and full of harmony. This dogfish head release is fantastic and a fitting tribute to the great musician it is named for. I was impressed with the grassy hoppy notes mixed into the darker coffee and chocolate tastes. Not an everyday beer but one to be celebrated without a doubt (292 characters)